her almost one year after she arrived in the bay area. so the transformation that she and her family went through. more of that story ♪ ♪ >> norah: tonight, a special edition of the "cbs evening news." we are here on one of the largest warships in the world, a u.s. navy aircraft carrier that has just returned from the south china sea. and just today, cbs news learning the pentagon plans to increase the number of troops in taiwan as the independent island hopes to hold off chinese aggression. ♪ ♪ tonight, aboard the uss nimitz, with 5,000 of america's finest, the concern tonight about the possibility of a new cold war. this time, with china. ♪ ♪ the u.s. warning china may send weapons to russia for the war in ukraine. as the world marks one year of

putin's invasion. >> we estimate that they will try to do something on this february. ♪ ♪ >> norah: with tens of billions of taxpayer dollars going to ukraine, cbs's david martin reports on its impact on america's readiness. >> for a couple of key items, the stockpile is getting low. ♪ ♪ >> richard alexander murdaugh wishes to take the stand. >> i didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime, ever. >> severe winter weather stretching from coast-to-coast. >> the cold air comes charging in on friday, setting the stage for a huge winter storm in the west. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: this is a special edition of the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting tonight from the uss nimitz. >> norah: good evening, and thank you for joining us. tonight, we are broadcasting live aboard the uss nimitz, and while we can't give you our exact location, we can tell you,

we are here in the western pacific ocean. we landed here just moments ago, after boarding a c2 greyhound in guam and landing on the deck of this massive aircraft carrier that stretches nearly 1100 feet long. that's more than three football fields. and about this exact location on the ship, it is called vulture's row. it is a viewing platform, high above the flight deck, where the crew and others can observe the flight operations below. today, the world is marking one year in the war in ukraine, when russia unleashed the largest ground invasion in europe since world war ii. we've got reports tonight from ukraine, with cbs's charlie d'agata, and from the pentagon, with cbs's david martin, who takes an in-depth look at the billions of dollars in military aid for ukraine. all this as the u.s. prepares for a potential conflict with

china. tonight, the u.s. is confirming that they are going to be sending additional troops to taiwan. that is big news. it is historic because the troops will deploy to the crucial island to help build out a training program amid increasing tensions with china. it's here in the western pacific where america's naval power is on full display. the uss nimitz, with more than 60 planes and 5,000 sailors. guam is where we took off from this morning. it is considered the tip of the spear. one part of the marianas, a strategic location used during world war ii to launch the bombs that forced japan to surrender. today, guam houses three military bases: air force, navy, and now a new home to 5,000 marines. the first new u.s. military base in 70 years. part of a new build up in the region. defense secretary lloyd austin announcing earlier this month,

the u.s. will expand its military presence in the philippines. >> that's just part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. and these efforts are especially important as the people's republic of china continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the west philippine sea. >> norah: take a look at america's military might, from guam to japan to the philippines. the chinese foreign minister complaining again this week that it's all an effort to contain china and prevent it from controlling taiwan. >> democracies of the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow, and forever. >> norah: china and russia declared just over a year ago a no-limits friendship. presidents xi and putin set to meet again soon. these pictures show war games and joint naval drills involving china and russia happening right now. how closely is xi jinping and china watching the war in ukraine? >> xi jinping is likely watching

the war in ukraine very closely because it has both economic implications for china, diplomatic implications for china, and military implications for china. >> norah: toshi yoshihara has spent his career studying the chinese navy. he says xi jinping is learning lessons as the chinese president considers invading taiwan. >> the first is the nuclear saber rattling that putin engaged in at the outset of the conflict. now, while putin's nuclear threats did not stop the west from helping ukraine, i think it was clear that the united states and its nato allies were very cautious. took putin's words seriously. and so, xi jinping might learn that it might be to china's benefit to similarly engage in early nuclear threats. >> norah: republican congressman mike gallagher is a marine veteran and chairs the new house committee focused on china. >> one of the lessons of ukraine is that when dictators tell you they are going to do something,

you should pay attention. >> norah: president biden has pledged to defend taiwan, setting the u.s. and china up for a possible conflict this decade. >> if this thing really escalated into a conflict between our navies, that would entail a level of destruction and death that we haven't seen for a long, long time. >> norah: we're seeing firsthand how the navy is preparing for that possible conflict in the western pacific. we will have much more for you tomorrow, and soon on "60 minutes." tonight, cbs news has learned that the u.s. believes russia will mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion of ukraine with a barrage of missile and drone strikes. cbs's charlie d'agata was in ukraine one year ago when russia launched the largest ground invasion since world war ii, and he reports tonight from kyiv. >> reporter: today, ukrainian troops withstood relentless russian bombardment in vuhledar, south of bakhmut, which has been

reduced to smoldering ruins after months of heavy battle. this is what russia's lightning advance has come to. a grinding crawl. a far cry from a year ago, when u.s. intelligence predicted the capital, kyiv, would fall within 96 hours. we were on the balcony of our safe house in kyiv at around 5:00 a.m. when russian president vladimir putin announced the start of a special military operation. moments later, thunderous explosions echoed throughout the country. the russians had launched air strikes across the nation and ground defenses on multiple fronts. when russian forces advanced toward the capital, hundreds of thousands tried to flee. >> we tried to stop the panic in our streets. people will be fleeing to the border, and it will be the

obstacle for our armed forces to move quickly. >> reporter: on those streets of kyiv, president volodymyr zelenskyy made it clear he was staying put. instead, he urged citizens to take up arms, which they did, by the thousands. hastily-erected barricades and checkpoints went up everywhere, manned by jittery volunteers with guns drawn. overnight, the lives of millions of ukrainians changed forever. and the global repercussions of russia's invasion now extend far beyond the battlefields of ukraine. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to president biden during his unannounced visit here this week for america's support and weapons, but norah, frontline soldiers tell us they are running out of ammunition in the face of a new russian offensive. >> norah: charlie d'agata, thank you.

with the war now entering its second year and the u.s. continuing to provide rockets, guns, and ammunition, there is a growing concern that the u.s. might not have enough military hardware to defend itself and its allies if needed. cbs's david martin is at the pentagon, where a recent war games showed the u.s. would run out of a key weapon while trying to stop a chinese invasion of taiwan. >> reporter: the production line at the lockheed martin plant in arkansas is gearing up to turn out one new rocket every 10 minutes. it's part of the $30 billion in weapons the u.s. has committed to ukraine, but just a fraction of the pentagon's staggering $858 billion defense budget. >> this is darn close to being the biggest defense budget that we have ever had. >> reporter: since world war ii, the only time the u.s. spent more on defense was at the height of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. loren thompson of the lexington institute says nearly a third of that is spent on weapons. >> that is an amount of money

that outstrips the entire economy of most european countries. >> reporter: yet the pentagon is hard-pressed to keep ukraine supplied with ammunition. >> for a couple of key items, the stockpile is getting low. >> reporter: what does "low" mean? >> we're at a level where the risk for other war plans becomes grave. >> reporter: retired marine colonel mark cancian of the center for strategic and international studies says ukraine's use of artillery shells far outstrips the pentagon's capacity to make them. >> they are using about as much in a month as we produced in a year. >> reporter: if the u.s. can't keep ukraine supplied in its fight against a decrepit russian military, what would happen to american forces in a war against the number one threat, china? >> the united states was critically short of a couple of key munitions, particularly long-range antiship missiles. >> reporter: cancian recently directed a war game in which the u.s. tried to stop a chinese invasion of taiwan. did the u.s. in these war games

actually run out of these long-range antiship missiles? >> yes, the u.s. ran out of these missiles in the first few days of the war. >> reporter: even though it ran out of the missiles, the u.s. won the war game by stopping the chinese invasion, but lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of troops. norah? >> norah: david martin, thank you. now, to the day's other top stories, more than 20 million americans are feeling the impact of two powerful winter storms. it's not just blizzard-like conditions, but freezing cold, some places saw temperatures 40 degrees below normal. the midwest is getting the worst of it. and cbs's christina ruffini is in hard-hit minneapolis. >> reporter: from mountains of snow in minneapolis to a blown transformer in detroit, the february cold snap is sending shivers across the u.s. frozen fallout has left a million people without power.

in michigan, a volunteer firefighter was killed after coming into contact with a downed power line. heavy snow collapsed part of this parking garage in wisconsin, while the bitter cold broke centuries-old records in parts of colorado and wyoming, where it was negative 26 degrees. separate storms tore across the west, dropping nearly 11 inches of snow in portland, close to a record. sin city got a smattering. >> let it snow, let it, well, let's just say, flurry. >> reporter: and there was a hail of, well, hail in l.a. >> talking like pea-sized hail. ow. >> reporter: more than 1,000 flights canceled and more than 4,000 delayed. >> we changed our flights three times and now this is going to be the fourth. >> reporter: now, as folks around here start to dig out, another storm is heading towards california. the golden state could get as much as a foot, and the national weather service has issued its first blizzard warning for the southern california mountains

since 1989. norah? >> norah: christina ruffini, thank you. it was a big day in the double murder trial of disgraced former attorney alex murdaugh. murdaugh took the stand, sobbing at times. he surprisingly admitted he lied to police. cbs's scott macfarlane was in the south carolina courtroom. >> the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: just moments after taking the stand, alex murdaugh, part of a family legal dynasty in south carolina, denied being a murderer. >> i didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime. ever. >> reporter: but he admitted lying to police about being at the crime scene, the family's dog kennel, just before the killings. he blamed paranoia and an opioid addiction. >> you continued lying that night, did you not? >> once i lied, i continued to lie, yes, sir. >> why? >> you know, oh, what a tangled web we weave. >> reporter: his attorneys played murdaugh's 911 call that night in june 2021.

>> did they shoot themselves? >> oh, no, hell no. >> reporter: he testified he'd attempted suicide. >> i meant for him to shoot me so i would be gone. >> reporter: and acknowledged stealing money from his legal practice. >> i was spending so much money on pills. >> reporter: prosecutors argued he killed to distract from his financial misdeeds. late today, they sought to poke holes in murdaugh's credibility. >> you had to sit down and deal with these people and convince them that you were telling them the truth in order to steal this money, correct? >> i can't say that. i can say i did wrong. i stole money that wasn't mine. and i shouldn't have done it. >> reporter: his surviving son testified murdaugh was a loving father. he sat with other relatives who were in the courtroom today and grew emotional when murdaugh did. cross examination resumes here tomorrow. norah? >> norah: scott macfarlane, thank you. a tv reporter covering a homicide in florida is fatally shot. the shocking details next.

metastatic breast cancer are living longer with kisqali. so, long live family time. long live dreams. and long live you. kisqali is a pill proven to help women live longer when taken with an aromatase inhibitor. and kisqali helps preserve quality of life. so you're not just living, you're living well. kisqali can cause lung problems or an abnormal heartbeat which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. avoid grapefruit during treatment. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. long live hugs and kisses. ask about kisqali. and long live life.

♪ music (“i swear”) plays ♪ jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day... and forgot where she was. [buzz] you can always spot a first timer. gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year. ♪ get fast relief of your worst allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, with powerful claritin d, so you can breathe better. feel the clarity—and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin d. with fidelity income planning, we'll help you create a clear, personalized plan for cash flow, even when you're not working. a plan that includes all your accounts so you can enjoy whatever comes next. that's the planning effect. from fidelity. for people who are a little intense about hydration. neutrogena® hydro boost lightweight. fragrance-free. 48-hour hydration. for that healthy skin glow. neutrogena®. for people with skin.

dupixent helps you du more with less asthma. and can help you breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent. >> norah: we are back now aboard the uss nimitz in the western pacific. tonight, investigators outside orlando, florida, are trying to unravel another senseless shooting rampage that left three people dead, including a 9-year-old girl and a tv reporter. cbs's manuel bojorquez is there. >> reporter: just-released police body cam video shows orange county sheriff's deputies arresting 19-year-old

keith melvin moses, the suspected shooter. >> we recovered a glock 40 semiautomatic handgun from inside of his pants. that gun was still hot to the touch, meaning it had just been fired. >> reporter: he's accused of murdering a woman wednesday morning in this orlando neighborhood, only to return hours later and open fire on a news reporter and photographer covering the story, and then a mother and child in a nearby home. in the end, 9-year-old t'yonna major was killed, along with spectrum news 13 reporter dylan lyons. fellow journalists were shaken. >> we go home at night afraid that something like this will occur. >> reporter: colleagues and friends are now paying tribute to lyons, who was 24 years old and engaged to be married. >> he loved the community, telling the stories of people, reporting on the news. and he was just passionate about what he did. >> reporter: jesse walden, the news photographer, and the mother of the 9-year-old girl

remain in this hospital tonight. the sheriff said the suspect has a long criminal history, but he is not talking, so they have not been able to determine a motive yet. norah? >> norah: manny bojorquez, thank you. federal investigators released their preliminary report into that toxic train derailment in ohio. that's next. out on tour, i gotta help protect myself. ♪ that's why i got this guy— a new updated covid-19 booster designed for better protection against recent omicron variants. you're still my guy, khalil. i love you buddy. ♪

bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss and if you're taking a multi-vitamin alone, you may be missing a critical piece... preservision. preservision areds 2 contains the only clinically proven nutrient formula recommended by the national eye institute to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. preservision is backed by 20 years of clinical studies. so ask your doctor about adding preservision and fill in a missing piece of your plan.

like i did with preservision. now with ocusorb better absorbing nutrients. ♪♪ giorgio, look. the peanut butter box is here. ralph, that's the chewy pharmacy box with our flea and tick meds. it's not peanut butter. i know, i know. but every time the box comes, we get the peanut butter. yes, because mom takes the meds out of the box and puts them in the peanut butter. sounds like we're getting peanut butter. yes, but that is the chewy pharmacy box. ♪ the peanut butter box is here. ♪ ♪ the peanut butter box is here ♪ alright, i'm out. pet prescriptions delivered to your door. chewy. ♪ this feels so right... ♪ adt systems now feature google products like the nest cam with floodlight, with intelligent alerts when a person or familiar face is detected. sam. sophie's not here tonight. so you have a home with no worries. brought to you by adt.

>> norah: the other big story today, transportation secretary pete buttigieg visited the site of that toxic train derailment in ohio, just as federal investigators released their preliminary findings. their report confirms that a wheel bearing severely overheated to more than 250 degrees above normal. the crew received an alert and tried to slow down just before the wreck. state environmental officials now estimate that more than 40,000 fish have died from toxic contamination in nearby waterways. there is a big development in the special counsel investigation into the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol.

cbs news is first to report that federal prosecutors have asked a federal judge to compel former vice president mike pence to testify in that investigation. lawyers for former president trump are trying to block pence's testimony, arguing that private conversations with the president should remain confidential. when we come back, we will check in with a family that fled the violence in ukraine and found comfort and safety in the home of a stranger. that's next. >> announcer: this portion of the "cbs evening news" is sponsored by united healthcare medicare plans. get medicare with more. dicare w. t out of her medicare plan. ♪wow, uh-huh♪ advantage: me! can't wait 'til i turn 65! take advantage with an aarp medicare advantage plan... only from unitedhealthcare. she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for.

sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding that outfit psoriasis tried to hide from you. or finding your swimsuit is ready for primetime. [dad] once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. ♪ when pain says, “i'm here,” ♪

i say, “so are they.” just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. aleve who do you take it for? i used to pre-rinse dishes cause my old detergent didn't actually get 'em clean. but new cascade platinum plus haoing shes...differently. scrub? soak? nope. i just scrape, load and i'm done. only platinum plus is bigger. with double the dawn grease fighting power and double the scrubbing power. so you can load this, and get this. i'm not the type to break the dish rules...or am i? scrape, load, done. new cascade platinum plus. ♪ zyrteeeec...♪ works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be more than our allergies! zeize the day. with zyrtec. age is just a number, and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein

with 20 grams of protein for muscle health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. boost® high protein. now available in cinnabon® bakery-inspired flavor. learn more at boost.com/tv ♪♪ remember the things you loved doing... before your asthma got in the way? get back to the things you love... with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma. having too many eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, can cause inflammation and asthma symptoms. fasenra is designed to target and remove eosinophils and helps prevent asthma attacks. fasenra is 1 dose every 8 weeks. fasenra can help patients to breathe better. most patients did not have an asthma attack in the first year. and fasenra helps lower the use of oral steroids. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection.

get back to better breathing. and get back to your life. ask your doctor about fasenra. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> norah: finally tonight, as we mark one year of the russian invasion of ukraine, we wanted to check in on a family we met while visiting poland last year. when we first met ola, her family had just fled the violence in ukraine. the family left in such a hurry, with only a few clothes, leaving behind loved ones, including their dogs and cats. last year, ola told us she didn't know where they were going or where they would end up, but were happy to be in poland. one year later. wonderful to see you. >> also so glad to see you. >> norah: they are still in poland, in the same house, with the woman who was once a stranger. barbara, a retiree inofour.

has barbara become a part of your family? >> yes, it's a part of our family, number one. >> norah: little rima and 18-year-old veronika are both in school, learning polish and doing well, but the memories of their old life linger. >> i left my best friend, anna, at my school. >> norah: a year ago, they were happy to have a place to stay. but now, with no end in sight for the war, the hope of returning home is diminishing. ola, what is your hope for the future? >> i hope the war will end soon, and i know it is going to take some time to recover, but i believe that my country is strong. >> norah: strong like ola, leaving all she knows behind and starting over. and that is tonight's "cbs evening news" from the uss nimitz in the western pacific ocean. i'm norah o'donnell. good night. ♪ ♪

right now on cbs news bay area, rare snowfall at higher elevations. despite the cold, people couldn't stay away. >> when mother nature sends this type of invite you can't turn it down. snow is getting a lot of attention but the rain will have a bigger impact on friday mornings commute. we are checking both in the first would forecast. highway 101 is shut down, it stems from a power outage that left thousands in the dark and kohl's cold for days. >> good evening,e cold nter ast makingme

look at this, peaks and mountaintops covered in snow. there will be more to come. look at this golden eagle there, we went up to not diablo, in the east bay to take a look. there was quite a lot of wind, people were braving the elements to take in the sight. >> down and warm and then it gets cold and then snowing. >> i've never seen this before. >> snowfall in the fremont hills attracted some hikers, quite the contrast there. look at that with yellow flowers and white powder on the hilltop beyond. on the peninsula, heavy machinery was brought in to clear the snow and highway 35, page mill road closed for a time because of car spin outs. a lot to cover, a lot of images we are getting from our viewers. to fill us in, now, first alert meteorologist paul heggen. >> something we don't see very